System and method for determining relative positions of moving objects and sequence of such objects

ABSTRACT

A system and method for ranking the relative movement of objects on a pathway is provided. The method includes: dividing the pathway into a plurality of sectors, each sector having a rank of order with respect to a beginning and an ending point of the pathway; receiving coordinate data from each of the objects; identifying, based on the received coordinate data, if any objects are present in individual ones of the plurality of sectors; determining, for any sector that has at least two objects, the positional order of the at least two objects within that sector; and ranking the positional order of the plurality of objects along the pathway based upon the rank order of the sector in which each object is present, and which multiple objects that are present in any sector are ordered as set by the determining.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application61/236,853 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING RELATIVE POSITIONSOF MOVING OBJECTS AND SEQUENCE OF SUCH OBJECTS filed on Aug. 25, 2009,the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system and a method for determiningthe location of moving objects relative to each other in real time. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to determining the positionof moving objects, such as race cars, relative to each other, so thatthe order of such objects can be determined.

2. Discussion of Background Information

Popularity of the sport of racing has risen dramatically over the lastdecade. As is well known, racing involves moving objects, such as cars,boats, people, animals, etc., around a fixed course. The winner is theparticipant that crosses the finish line first, although secondaryprizes may be awarded (e.g., place and show) for various positions otherthan the winner.

Information on the relative position of the participants during the racemay also be of interest. For example, when the race is being broadcast,the broadcasters often include a ticker of the order of the raceparticipants. Such information may also be valuable to comply with therace rules, such as auto racing, where the race can be stalled due to a“yellow flag” condition and the drivers are responsible for maintainingtheir order in the race while the yellow flag conditions persist.

With respect to crossing the finish line, position can often be detectedwith the naked eye if the participants cross at distinct enoughintervals. However, the naked eye method may not be reliable if theparticipants are too close to each other. A variety of technologies havethus emerged to provide an accurate accounting of events at the finishline. For example, the so-called “photo finish” refers to the use of acamera triggered by the passage of the lead object past the finish linewhich allows the visual observation of the winner and/or order ofparticipants. More recently, in the field of auto racing, cars areequipped with inductive coils that interact with equipment proximate tothe finish line, which triggers a signal as the cars cross the finishline. This methodology provides highly reliable information on the orderin which each car crosses the finish line.

While the above technologies are useful for monitoring the finish line,they are ineffective in determining the status of other events aroundthe race course, particularly for identifying the order of the racingparticipants at any given time. Currently, the order of participants inthe race is provided manually via “spotters” who physically observe therace and monitor/record the position of the participants. For instance,a typical NASCAR race uses about 20 such spotters, which entails asignificant expense.

It has been suggested to create artificial “finish” lines around thetrack to leverage the use of the inductive coils, but, in effect, aninfinite amount of such artificial finish lines would be necessary toprovide accurate results. There is presently no commercial technologyfor providing an accurate order of the participants in real time absentmanual visual observation.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the invention, a method for ranking therelative movement of objects on a pathway is provided. The methodincludes: dividing the pathway into a plurality of sectors, each sectorhaving a rank of order with respect to a beginning and an ending pointof the pathway; receiving coordinate data from each of the objects;identifying, based on the received coordinate data, if any objects arepresent in individual ones of the plurality of sectors; determining, forany sector that has at least two objects, the positional order of the atleast two objects within that sector; and ranking the positional orderof the plurality of objects along the pathway based upon the rank orderof the sector in which each object is present, and which multipleobjects that are present in any sector are ordered as set by thedetermining.

The above embodiment may have an optional feature where the pathwaydefines a closed loop that the plurality of objects will repeatedlytravel over a number of laps, and the plurality of sectors covering asingle lap of the number of laps. The method would optionally alsoinclude: identifying those of the plurality of objects that are in afirst particular lap; performing the identifying and determining onlyfor those of the plurality of objects that are associated with the firstparticular lap, while disregarding others of the plurality of objectsthat are associated with a different lap; wherein the ranking thepositional order of the plurality of objects along the pathway is basedupon a rank order of the number of laps, within each lap the rank orderof the sectors in which each object is present, in which multipleobjects within any sector for any common lap are ordered as set by thedetermining.

The above embodiment may have various additional optional features. Aforward edge of a highest ranking sector of the plurality of sectors mayalign with a predetermined end of the pathway. The pathway may includesa start line and a finish line, where a forward edge of a highestranking sector of the plurality of sectors aligns with the finish line,and a rearward edge of the lowest ranking sector of the plurality ofsectors aligns with the start line. The pathway may define a loop, andthe start line and the finish line are the same line. The positionalorder may be visually displaying as established by the ranking. Thesteps of receiving, identifying, determining, and ranking steps may berecursively performed such that the positional order of the objects asthey move along the pathway is monitored and updated. The recursivelyperforming may occur in near real-time. The determining may include:determining from the received coordinate data the distance of each ofthe at least two objects to a forward edge of the sector, and orderingthe at least two objects based upon the shortest to longest distance; ordetermining from the received coordinate data the distance of each ofthe at least two objects to a rear edge of the sector, and ordering theat least two objects based upon the longest to shortest distance. Theranking may include, for each sector, recursively in rank order sequencefrom the highest to the lowest, listing the objects in each sector tocollectively provide a priority order list of the objects for theplurality of sectors. The ranking may include for each sector thatincludes an object, recursively in rank order sequence from the highestto the lowest, listing the objects in each sector to collectivelyprovide a priority order list of the objects for the plurality ofsectors.

The pathway may have at least one branch, which may be a pit area withan entrance and an exit that connects to the pathway, and the dividingstep includes the pit area.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a method for rankingthe relative movement of objects that are lapping a pathway is provided.The method includes: dividing the pathway into a plurality of sectors,each sector having a rank of order with respect to a beginning and anending point of the pathway; identifying, for each object on the track,a lap in which the object is in and which of the plurality of sectorsthe object is in; determining, for any sector that has multiple objectsin a common lap, the position order of the multiple objects within thatsector and common lap; and generating a positional order of the objectsalong the pathway based upon the rank order of the lap in which eachobject is present, within each lap the rank order of the sector in whicheach object is present, and which multiple objects within any sectorwithin a common lap are ordered as set by the determining.

The above embodiment may have various features. A forward edge of ahighest ranking sector of the plurality of sectors may align with apredetermined end of the pathway. The pathway may include a start lineand a finish line, a forward edge of a highest ranking sector of theplurality of sectors aligns with the finish line, and a rearward edge ofthe lowest ranking sector of the plurality of sectors aligns with thestart line. The pathway may define a loop, and the start line and thefinish line are the same line. The positional order of the objects maybe visually displayed as established by the ranking. The receiving,identifying, determining, and generating steps may be recursivelyperformed such that the positional order of the objects as they movealong the pathway is monitored and updated. The recursively performingmay occur in near real-time. The determining may include: determiningfrom the received coordinate data the distance of each of the at leasttwo objects to a forward edge of the sector, and ordering the at leasttwo objects based upon the shortest to longest distance; or determiningfrom the received coordinate data the distance of each of the at leasttwo objects to a rear edge of the sector, and ordering the at least twoobjects based upon the longest to shortest distance. The pathway mayhave at least one branch, where the branch may be a pit area with anentrance and an exit that connects to the pathway, and the dividing stepincludes the pit area.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a method for rankingthe relative movement of objects that are lapping a race pathway isprovided. The method includes: dividing the pathway into a plurality ofsectors, each sector having a rank of order with respect to a beginningand an ending point of the pathway; receiving coordinate data from eachof the objects; establishing the highest current n^(th) lap in the race,where n is an integer; recursively for each k^(th) lap in order from nto a lowest lap: (a) identifying any of the objects in the k^(th) lap;recursively for each sector, in order from a highest ranking sector to alowest ranking sector: (i) identifying whether any of the objects withinthe k^(th) lap are within the sector; (ii) if multiple objects are inthe sector, determining a positional order of the multiple objectswithin the sector; and (b) displaying the positional order of theobjects along the pathway in lap and sector order, including order ofmultiple objects within a sector pursuant to the determining.

Other exemplary embodiments and advantages of the present invention maybe ascertained by reviewing the present disclosure and the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is further described in the detailed descriptionwhich follows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of certain embodiments of the present invention,in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the severalviews of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an overall system for monitoring theposition of vehicles;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of tracking components that are mountedin a vehicle;

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment in which tracking components aremounted in different locations of two different vehicles;

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile monitoring center;

FIG. 5 illustrates vehicles on a racetrack;

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which the racetrackis broken up into sectors;

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which the relativeposition of each race car is determined on a sector-by-sector basis;

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a display of the racetrack, cars,and relevant tracking data;

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which the racetrackis broken up into sectors; and

FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate the operation of an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The particulars shown herein are by way of example and for purposes ofillustrative discussion of the embodiments of the present inventiononly, and are presented to provide what is believed to be the mostuseful and readily understood description of the principles andconceptual aspects of the present invention. In this regard, no attemptis made to show structural details of the present invention beyond thosenecessary for the fundamental understanding of the present invention, asthe description taken with the drawings make it apparent to thoseskilled in the art how the several forms of the present invention may beembodied in practice.

As noted above, embodiments of the present invention are directed to anyenvironment in which it is desirable to monitor the movement of objectswithin an area. Sports are but one possible implementation of themethodology, racing is but one implementation of the methodology insports, and auto racing is but one implementation of the methodology inracing. For ease of discussion, the embodiments herein focus on autoracing. However, the invention is not so limited, and the methodologiesdescribed herein may be provided in any environment.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an overall view of a monitoring system 100 isshown. A plurality of racing cars 110 are each equipped with a positiondetector 120. Each position detector is in communication with a centrallocation 130, which collects position information from each of theracing cars 110. A processor 140 at central location 130 processes theposition data of the racing cars 110 to collectively determine theposition and sequence characteristics of the race course, and outputsthat information in a visual viewable format. A secondary location 150with its own processor 160 may also receive position information fromeach of the racing cars 110 to act as a back up system.

Position detector 120 is preferably a DGPS receiver that is used todetermine geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude),although other methods of detecting position location could also beused. As is known in the art, DGPS receivers receive signals from atleast 3 GPS satellites and receive an additional ground-based signal.Position detector 120 may determine its own geographic coordinatesdirectly, or may simply collect raw data from the DGPS network andforward the data to processor 140 for later conversion into geographiccoordinates. The conversion of the raw data into geographic coordinatesmay take place at any point inside or outside of the system.

FIG. 2 shows an example of components of position detector 120 whenimplemented as a DGPS. Position detector 120 includes at least oneantenna 210, a receiver 220, a transmitter 230, and a power source 240.As is known in the art, receiver 220 receives DGPS data from availablesources and produces a set of latitude and longitude coordinates for thereceiver 220. Transmitter 230 then transmits the coordinate informationto central location 130, preferably through a cellular connection and/oran RF transmission (multiple different transmission methods may be usedfor redundancy in case of any localized system failure). Preferably, thecomponents of position detector 120 are selected to provide geographiccoordinates that are accurate on the order of centimeters, and morepreferably on the order of millimeters.

The embodiments herein are not limited to any specific component orarchitecture. However, to ensure fairness and comparable results, eachracing car 110 preferably uses the exact same equipment andconfiguration, or is limited to a pre-approved list of equipment andconfigurations to utilize. Also, since the system considers the positionof each car to be the position detected by position detector 120, eachracing car 110 preferably has its position detector 120 at the samerelative location within the vehicle, e.g., close to the front orcenter.

The need for similar placement of position detectors 120 in racing cars110 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Car 310 has its position detector 120 inthe front, and car 320 has its position detector in the back. In FIG. 3car 320 is ahead of car 310, such that car 320 is in the lead. Yet theposition detector 120 of car 310 is ahead of the position detector 120of car 310, and would thus indicate, incorrectly, that car 310 is in thelead.

The above differential placement of position detector 120 could becompensated for if the system knows the exact placement of positiondetector 120 within each vehicle, and could thus be an alternativeembodiment of the invention. There may also be other environments inwhich the differential placement of position detector 120 is notsufficient to impact the system, such that the location requirements forposition detector 120 can be relaxed and compensation is not necessary.

Referring now to FIG. 4, central location 130 is preferably a mobiletrailer that can be moved from race track to race track as necessary.However, the invention is not so limited, and a fixed location could beused. In addition, central location 130 may be a single location as inFIG. 4, or a collection of operations dispersed over a geographic area.There may also be multiple central locations that provide complementaryor duplicative operations. All of these possibilities fall within themeaning of “central location” as used herein.

Central location 130 includes a memory 410, a processor 420 (whichcorresponds to processor 140 of FIG. 1) and one or more displays 430.Processor 420 is preferably a combination of software and hardware, thesoftware being contained on a tangible computer readable medium andexecutable on electronic computer hardware; the processor may beimplemented via a single computer at the single location, or dispersedvia operations at multiple locations . Memory 410 is preferably a bulkstorage for computer systems such as a computer hard drive or othertangible storage medium, e.g., flash drive, CD, etc. The invention isnot limited to any particular type of memory, display, software orhardware other than as necessarily configured to carry out the featuresof the embodiments discussed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 5, central location 130 will preferably store inmemory an accurate map or image (collectively “map”) of the race track510 with a finish line 520 for display on display 430. Map 500preferably is geo-registered, so that one or more distinct points(preferably including the finish line) on the map have known geographiccoordinates. Processor 420 will process in real time the coordinate datafrom the individual racing cars 110, correlate the same with map 500,and accurately identify the location of each car 110 on map 500 forpurposes of display on display 430 in real time. Coordinate data arealso stored in memory 410, such that the location of all racing cars 110on the track can be identified for any particular prior point in time.

Presuming that the race involved a multi-lap event, preferably thesystem will be aware of which lap the individual cars are in. Morespecifically, a trailing car may be directly behind the lead car, andthus by position would appear to be in second place; but if the trailingcar is actually a lap behind the lead car, the trailing car couldactually be closer to last place. The lap of each car may be known byprior art methods, such as recorded visually by spotters, or by acounter triggered via the induction coils passing the start/finish line.Alternatively, processor 420 can monitor the laps via the location data.The embodiments herein are not limited to any particular mechanism forlap counting.

Referring now to FIG. 6, to identify the order of cars, processor 140(or 420) delineates the race track 610 (a capsule shaped track in FIG.6) into individual sectors 620. For events that include a side area(such as the pit in auto racing), a distinct off track sector 640 mayalso be provided. Each sector 620 preferably has three minimum definingcharacteristics, namely, that (1) at least one edge 630 of the sector620 is perpendicular to the race track 610, (2) the geographiccoordinates of at least one edge 630 of the sector 620 is known, and (3)all sectors 620 collectively cover the entire race track 610. In FIG. 6,the sectors 620 are contiguous, and adjacent sectors share boundariessuch that there are two edges 630 perpendicular to the race track 610 ineach sector; and the sectors 620 remain static for the duration of therace. However, the invention is not so limited, as the sectors 620 neednot be adjacent and contiguous, but could overlap. Preferably at leastone sector 620 has its perpendicular edge in alignment with the startand/or finish line.

Each sector 620 is also typically of a size and shape that is consistentwith the race track 610 section that it covers. Thus, a sector 620 on astraightaway portion of the track 610 may be rectangular, while thesector 620 on a curved portion of a track 610 may have an arc shape.Sectors 620 may have the same general square footage of coverage, or maybe different. By way of non-limiting example, curved areas of the trackmay require greater degrees of precision than straightway areas, suchthat sectors in curved areas are smaller in size then other areas.

Referring now to FIG. 7, to identify the order of the cars at aparticular point in time, processor 140 isolates a list of those carsthat are in the highest common lap. Processor 140 will then select aninitial forward most sector 620; the sector 620 that covers the areajust prior to the finish line 520 is a convenient starting point,although the invention is not so limited. If no racing cars 110 arepresent in that sector, then processor 140 looks downstream (oppositethe flow of race traffic) to the immediately preceding sector 620 alongtrack 610. The process continues until a sector 620 is identified ascontaining one or more cars in the list of those within the highest lap.For instance, in FIG. 6, no racing cars 110 are located until 8 sectorsdownstream from the finish line.

When one or more racing cars 110 are identified as within a sector 620,processor 140 determines their order. If multiple racing cars 110 arepresent in the same sector, then processor 140 determines the distancebetween each car and the edge of the sector 620 based on the geographiccoordinates, and potentially other data position and/or movement data(e.g., speed, trajectory, pitch, yaw, etc.). The racing car 110 with thecoordinates closest to the sector edge is considered the lead car withinthat sector 620, the car with the next closest coordinates is the secondcar, the car with the next closest coordinates is the third car, etc.

If the sector is only occupied by a single car, then the distancemeasurement can be skipped and that car is designated as the lead car.In the alternative, the distance measurement can still be performed, iffor no other reason than simply consistency of programming.

The above process will thus yield the accurate order of cars within thesector under examination. In this specific case, as this is the sectorwith the lead car, the first car will be designated as the leader, andall cars behind it are assigned a sequentially decreasing rank asappropriate.

Processor 140 will then examine the next closest preceding sector. Asabove, the order of racing cars 110 will be determined for that sector.Processor 140 will then rank those cars in order behind the adjacentforward sector.

The pit area 640 of the race track 610 is technically a point in therace in a branch off of the main track, and needs to be monitored in itsown right. Thus, the pit area 640 (including the on and off ramp) mayitself be its own sector 620 or multiple sectors 620, or it may becovered by other sectors 620 of the main track 610. Processor 140 canorder the cars in the pit relative to the cars in the race consistentwith racing protocols.

For example, in FIG. 6 the pit area 640 is show generically as a singlesector 620, although multiple sectors could be used (preferablybisecting the pit area along the start/finish line 520, as crossing theline in the pit area 640 does count for lap purposes under currentNASCAR rules), these sectors would be prioritized in rank orderconsistent with prevailing rules, potentially having equal standing withsectors 620 on the main track.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative embodiment in which pit area 640 is includesin parts of four sectors 620. Cars 910 and 920 are both in the samesector 620, although car 920 is in the pit area 640. Car 920 is closerto the forward end of sector 620, and is therefore ahead of car 910.

Eventually the processor 140 will cover all sectors 620 in a single loopof track 610. At this point processor has accounted for the order ofcars in the highest particular lap number. Processor 140 with thendecrement the lap counter to the next highest lap and isolate the carsin that lap, and begin the process again for the lead sector.

Processor 140 will continue to repeat the above until all cars areaccounted for, at which point the processing can end. The order of carsis then set, and can be stored in memory and/or displayed in monitorsfor whatever use as appropriate.

There are numerous modifications that could be made to the abovemethodology. By way of non-limiting example, sectors with no cars couldbe eliminated at the outset from the sequence to study for positioning.The examination could begin from the tail end of the race, by beginningfrom the start/finish line and looking upstream (into the direction ofrace travel) into sectors for the cars in the lowest lap, ranking themin reverse order until the lead car is located. An intermediate sectorcould also be used, with examination proceeding upstream and downstream.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a graphic user interface 800 for use inthe invention. The screen shows a generally central image of the autorace track of interest. Above the track is a time selector, which can bethe current time or a prior period if the user wishes to observe a paststatus of the race (including a replay of prior race events ofinterest). Various types of information relating to the race is shownaround the race track visual, including the order of the racers, timesof flag conditions, lead changes, etc. This data may represent currentrace conditions and/or prior race conditions at a selected time. A usercan interact with the GUI using a standard mouse and keyboard.

The information collected on car positioning and sequence can be usedfor a variety of purposes. According to a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the methodology could be used to accurately determine thepositions of cars during a “yellow flag” state, during which state thecars must remain in order. The data can also be used to provide theorder of cars, in real time, without the need for a staff of spotters.

The availability of such data also offers potential for use in gamingand viewing environments. At present, viewing of races is limited to thevarious cameras placed around the track and cars, and as may beaccessible via television or the interne. Embodiments of the presentinvention allow the entire race to be presented from a virtualperspective, such as a video game environment, to give the viewer theability to customize his/her perspective.

By way of example, video games often showcase tracks and cars againstwhich the user can race; the track and cars are artistically createdwith the game, and the movement of the race cars in the game iscontrolled by artificial intelligence. In an embodiment of theinvention, the track and cars would be virtual representations of theactual cars and track on which the race is occurring, and the positionof the cars would be dictated by their actual position on the track.Essentially the entire race could be reproduced in a virtualenvironment, and the user could view the race from any perspectivewithin that environment. For example, a user could elect the viewpointfrom the front of the lead car, and view the race from that perspective.In another example, the system could allow the user to enter the race asa “virtual” car.

As discussed above, position detector 120 may be a single DGPS basedsystem that gives accurate coordinate data. However, the invention isnot so limited. Multiple receivers can be placed at different positionsin the car for greater accuracy. Position detector 120 may also provideadditional movement information, such as speed, trajectory, yaw, pitch,etc. Processor 140 may rely on some or all of the additional movementdata for additional accuracy. By way of example, a racing car 110 with aposition detector 120 may give false readings of the car's position ifthe car is spinning; however, the other movement data can be used todetect and/or compensate for those circumstances. Two position detectors120 could also identify the presence of the spin.

The embodiments herein relating to lap counters are only valuable forthose environments that rely upon multi-lap conditions. Single lapconditions (such as horse racing) typically do not involve lap counters,and therefore that feature of the embodiment could be omitted. In thealternative, the feature could be included, although the system wouldnot find occasion to decrement the lap counter.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A-10C, an example of the above-embodiments arenow shown. FIG. 10A shows a track 1010 that includes a start/finish line1030 and a pit area 1040. Several cars will race the track. Referringnow to FIG. 10B, track 1010 is initially divided into sectors 1020, inthis case sectors A-P in rank order from the finish line to the startline 1030.

Referring now to FIG. 3C, the cars have been racing and aretransitioning to the 50^(th) lap. Cars 1050 and 1060 have crossed thestart line 1030 and are in the 50^(th) lap with car 1050 ahead of car1060 in sectors O and P, respectively; detection of the specific lap maybe through a variety of methods, although in this embodiment the systemcounts laps by the number of times a particular car crosses from sectorP to sector A, both of which share an edge with finish line 1030. Cars1070, 1080 and 1090 are still in the 49^(th) lap in sector A, althoughcar 1090 is in the pit area 1040. The order of the cars would bedetermined as follows:

-   -   The highest lap is identified, in this case lap 50.    -   The highest sector in the current lap with at least one car        present is identified, in this case sector O. (Even though cars        1070, 1080 and 1090 are in a higher ranked sector (A), they are        not part of the current lap such that their positioning is        disregarded for the current lap.)    -   Since only one car (1050) is in sector O, then that car is the        leader.    -   The next highest sector in the current lap with at least one car        present is identified, in this case sector P.    -   Since only one car (1060) is in sector O, then that car is the        lead car for sector O.    -   Since there has been one car identified in a higher ranked        sector within this lap, car 1060 is determined to be in second        place.    -   Since there are no more sectors in the current lap with cars,        the lap counter is decremented, such that the 49^(th) lap is        considered.    -   The highest sector in the current lap with at least one car        present is identified, in this case sector A.    -   There are three cars in sector A. Using the coordinate data from        each car, the system determines that 1070 is closest to the end        of sector A, car 1090 is next and car 1080 is last. The system        thus sets the positional order within sector A as        1070/1090/1080. Since two cars (1050 and 1060) have been found        in a higher ranked lap/sector, then 1070/1090/1080 are in third,        fourth, and fifth place, respectively.    -   The process continues until all cars are accounted for and/or        all sectors for all laps have been accounted for.    -   The standings are displayed on a monitor as:        -   First: 1050        -   Second: 1060        -   Third: 1070        -   Fourth: 1080        -   Fifth 1090, etc.

Over time, the position of the cars is likely to change. The aboveprocess as described with respect to FIG. 10C can be executed at anygiven time to give positional order in near real time. Further, thepositional order at any given time can be stored in computer memory forlater review. Accumulation of the stored positional order over time willcreate a historical record of position order throughout the race.

It is noted that the foregoing examples have been provided merely forthe purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limitingof the present invention. While the present invention has been describedwith reference to certain embodiments, it is understood that the wordswhich have been used herein are words of description and illustration,rather than words of limitation. Changes may be made, within the purviewof any claims as may be advanced in the subject matter, as presentlystated and as amended, without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe present invention in its aspects. Although the present invention hasbeen described herein with reference to particular means, materials andembodiments, the present invention is not intended to be limited to theparticulars disclosed herein; rather, the present invention extends toall functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as arewithin the scope of the appended claims any claims as may be advanced inthe subject matter.

1. A method for ranking the relative movement of objects on a pathway,comprising: dividing the pathway into a plurality of sectors, eachsector having a rank of order with respect to a beginning and an endingpoint of the pathway; receiving coordinate data from each of theobjects; identifying, based on the received coordinate data, if anyobjects are present in individual ones of the plurality of sectors;determining, for any sector that has at least two objects, thepositional order of the at least two objects within that sector; andranking the positional order of the plurality of objects along thepathway based upon the rank order of the sector in which each object ispresent, and which multiple objects that are present in any sector areordered as set by the determining.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thepathway defines a closed loop that the plurality of objects willrepeatedly travel over a number of laps, the plurality of sectorscovering a single lap of the number of laps, the method furthercomprising: identifying those of the plurality of objects that are in afirst particular lap; performing the identifying and determining onlyfor those of the plurality of objects that are associated with the firstparticular lap, while disregarding others of the plurality of objectsthat are associated with a different lap; wherein the ranking thepositional order of the plurality of objects along the pathway is basedupon a rank order of the number of laps, within each lap the rank orderof the sectors in which each object is present, in which multipleobjects within any sector for any common lap are ordered as set by thedetermining.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein a forward edge of ahighest ranking sector of the plurality of sectors aligns with apredetermined end of the pathway.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thepathway includes a start line and a finish line, a forward edge of ahighest ranking sector of the plurality of sectors aligns with thefinish line, and a rearward edge of the lowest ranking sector of theplurality of sectors aligns with the start line.
 5. The method of claim4, wherein the pathway defines a loop, and the start line and the finishline are the same line.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingvisually displaying the positional order as established by the ranking.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recursively performing thereceiving, identifying, determining, and ranking steps, such that thepositional order of the objects as they move along the pathway ismonitored and updated.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the recursivelyperforming occurs in near real-time.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe determining comprises determining from the received coordinate datathe distance of each of the at least two objects to a forward edge ofthe sector, and ordering the at least two objects based upon theshortest to longest distance.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetermining comprises determining from the received coordinate data thedistance of each of the at least two objects to a rear edge of thesector, and ordering the at least two objects based upon the longest toshortest distance.
 11. The method of claim 1, the ranking furthercomprising: for each sector, recursively in rank order sequence from thehighest to the lowest, listing the objects in each sector tocollectively provide a priority order list of the objects for theplurality of sectors.
 12. The method of claim 1, the ranking furthercomprising: for each sector that includes an object, recursively in rankorder sequence from the highest to the lowest, listing the objects ineach sector to collectively provide a priority order list of the objectsfor the plurality of sectors.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein thepathway has at least one branch.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein thebranch is a pit area with an entrance and an exit that connects to thepathway, and the dividing step includes the pit area.
 15. A method forranking the relative movement of objects that are lapping a pathway,comprising: dividing the pathway into a plurality of sectors, eachsector having a rank of order with respect to a beginning and an endingpoint of the pathway; identifying, for each object on the track, a lapin which the object is in and which of the plurality of sectors theobject is in; determining, for any sector that has multiple objects in acommon lap, the position order of the multiple objects within thatsector and common lap; and generating a positional order of the objectsalong the pathway based upon the rank order of the lap in which eachobject is present, within each lap the rank order of the sector in whicheach object is present, and which multiple objects within any sectorwithin a common lap are ordered as set by the determining.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein a forward edge of a highest ranking sectorof the plurality of sectors aligns with a predetermined end of thepathway.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the pathway includes astart line and a finish line, a forward edge of a highest ranking sectorof the plurality of sectors aligns with the finish line, and a rearwardedge of the lowest ranking sector of the plurality of sectors alignswith the start line.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the pathwaydefines a loop, and the start line and the finish line are the sameline.
 19. The method of claim 1, further comprising visually displayingthe positional order of the objects as established by the ranking. 20.The method of claim 15, further comprising recursively performing thereceiving, identifying, determining, and generating steps, such that thepositional order of the objects as they move along the pathway ismonitored and updated.
 21. The method of claim 15, wherein therecursively performing occurs in near real-time.
 22. The method of claim15, wherein the determining comprises determining from the receivedcoordinate data the distance of each of the at least two objects to aforward edge of the sector, and ordering the at least two objects basedupon the shortest to longest distance.
 23. The method of claim 15,wherein the determining comprises determining from the receivedcoordinate data the distance of each of the at least two objects to arear edge of the sector, and ordering the at least two objects basedupon the longest to shortest distance.
 24. The method of claim 15,wherein the pathway has at least one branch.
 25. The method of claim 15,wherein the branch is a pit area with an entrance and an exit thatconnects to the pathway, and the dividing step includes the pit area.26. A method for ranking the relative movement of objects that arelapping a race pathway, comprising: dividing the pathway into aplurality of sectors, each sector having a rank of order with respect toa beginning and an ending point of the pathway; receiving coordinatedata from each of the objects; establishing the highest current n^(th)lap in the race, where n is an integer; recursively for each k^(th) lapin order from n to a lowest lap: identifying any of the objects in thek^(th) lap; recursively for each sector, in order from a highest rankingsector to a lowest ranking sector: identifying whether any of theobjects within the k^(th) lap are within the sector; and if multipleobjects are in the sector, determining a positional order of themultiple objects within the sector; displaying the positional order ofthe objects along the pathway in lap and sector order, including orderof multiple objects within a sector pursuant to the determining.